The Princess Rukia
by Scathe
Summary: Toshiro is sick! So whats he going to do to pass the time? Easy, have Ukitake read him a story. Inspired by The Princess Bride, IchixRuki goodness, R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey all, its my first Fan Fic, I hope you all like it. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, otherwise nobody would be reading this ... I'm not that good

* * *

Hitsugaya Toshiro lay in his bed in his room, a thermometer in his mouth, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. His fukutaicho stood over him, her hands on her hips as she looked down at him, a big grin on her face. Hitsugaya's scowl deepened, and that started his grumbling. None of this phased Matsumoto however, she just took it in stride as she usually did when her taicho was angry with her. Finally a tick formed on his head and he started growling before losing his composure.

"MATSUMOTO!! What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Rangiku just smiled wider and raised her hand up to wave off the accusation.

"But taicho, you said you had a cold! I'm just helping you get over it; you don't have to look so mean." She pouted, which would have normally made any other person melt and give in to whatever she wanted. Hitsugaya, however, was used to this and shrugged it off, his patience thinning.

"I can get over a cold on my own! Or do you not recall the fact that I am a wielder of an _ice _type zanpakuto?! I am almost always cold! If it was really as bad as you say, just call someone over from the Fourth Division!"

"But taicho! They're really busy over there!"

_Meanwhile, at the Fourth Division_

"Maaaan, I wish something would happen!"

"I know, I am so bored!"

_Back to the Tenth Division_

Hitsugaya growled again before finally giving up as Matsumoto finally pulled the thermometer out of his mouth, gasping as she saw the temperature. "Oh my! Taicho, your temperature is so hot! It's well past normal! You need to stay in bed!" Her grin never faltered as she realized that with her captain in bed all day, she had free reign to put off her duties. Not like she would do it anyway, but at least now she had a legitimate excuse. Hitsugaya just let his scowl deepen. He was about to yell at her again when there was a sudden knock on his door.

Both Hitsugaya and Matsumoto turned to see who their visitor was as they called "Come in" together. The door opened to reveal none other than captain of the Thirteenth Division, the white haired Juushiro Ukitake. Ukitake just smiled and walked into the room, his hands behind his back as he greeted Matsumoto and her captain.

"Hello Matsumoto. I heard that Shiro-chan was sick and decided to come by and wish him well."

"Awww, thank you Ukitake-taicho, that's so kind of you! Could you keep an eye on Hitsugaya-taicho for me please? I need to head out for a while." Ukitake nodded and smiled and wished her well as she left the room. He turned back to Hitsugaya who was frowning, and relaxed into the bed, his arms still crossed across his chest. Ukitake just smiled wider.

"Hey, I have just the thing to cheer you up Shiro-chan!"

"Hitsugaya-tai-" He was about to correct his superior when suddenly a large jar of candy was shoved into his face by Ukitake, who was grinning widely with his eyes closed. Hitsugaya just scowled and took the jar, setting it down on the nightstand next to his bed. Hitsugaya turned to face Ukitake, who was now sitting in a chair. "Uh, thanks for stopping by Ukitake-taicho, but I think I can take care of myself … I'm sure you must be busy."

Ukitake just waved it off and smiled. "No, no, I'm fine, Kiyone and Sentaro can take of the other duties just fine, I'm sure. Besides, I told Rangiku I would watch you, and that's what I'm going to do."

"But, Ukitake-taicho, it's just a cold!"

"Nonsense! Now, its time for a bedtime story for Shiro-chan!"

Hitsugaya grumbled and just muttered under his breath "Hitsugaya-taicho" before falling silent to listen to Ukitake. Hitsugaya pulled up his pillows and leaned back against them, keeping his arms crossed as he looked away from his fellow captain, who was now holding a book. "This story is called 'The Princess Rukia'. This story was given to me a long time ago by my dear friend Shunsui. I have read it once every year on the same day, and today happens to be that day. I want to share this story with you, Toshiro-kun." Ukitake smiled at the white haired youngster, who just nodded, and opened up the book to begin.

"A long time ago, there was a young woman who was born into a lower class family. The family was not poor, but they were not rich either. They owned a small farm with a small plot of land that was attended to by a single farm boy named Ichigo. The woman, Rukia, was very rude to the poor farm boy, commanding him to do things. She was a small woman with raven hair and purple eyes. But her size did not seem to affect her confidence. She would order around the tall, orange haired farm boy whenever she needed something to do. The farm boy at this time had kind eyes and wore a smile whenever he could. Each time Rukia would order him to do something; Ichigo would just smile and say 'As you wish.'

"She never thought twice about it until one day she ordered him to clean out the stables and his amber eyes met her violet ones, and his smile seemed to stir something inside of her as he told her his usual agreement. She was slowly starting to feel something for the boy, something she hadn't noticed before. There was some sort of hidden meaning behind his agreement, but she did not know what it was. So one day, when she was sure that she loved him, she-"

"Ukitake-taicho, is this a … romance novel?!" Toshiro interrupted, suddenly curious and nervous. Ukitake just laughed and patted Hitsugaya on the head, nodding. "Very good Hitsugaya-kun, you're very smart!" Toshiro just blushed and turned away from Ukitake. He didn't know how to react. Ukitake-taicho, one of the most well respected captains in all of the Gotei 13 was sitting here, reading him a romance novel. This didn't seem to faze the elder captain and he continued.

"So, one day when she was sure that she loved him, she ordered him to do something, and he uttered the words she wanted to hear. 'As you wish.' He said to her. She just looked at him and told him to wait, which he did.

"'What do you mean when you say that?' She asked him. To which he replied:

"'Would you rather I say something else?' She just stared at him, dumbfounded and at a loss for words. He just smiled and turned to leave the stable when she threw the wet rag she was using to wash the tools in the stable at the back of his head. It hit him right on target and he turned around, his wet hair throwing water all about the stable as he scowled at her.

"'What the hell was that for?!' He yelled at her, getting right up in her face. She scowled right back at him and yelled back.

"'What the hell was that supposed to mean you idiot?! I asked you a question! Now answer it!"

"'Why should I answer a question that a temper mental midget asked me?!'

"'What did you call me?!'

"You heard me!' And with that they growled at each other. Their yelling was so loud her family could hear it from the house that was outside the farm. Rukia's parents just shrugged it off, sighed and made the comment of how in love the two were. After a few moments of growling, Rukia finally huffed and sat back down, picking up a piece of paper and the nearest piece of charcoal she had and began drawing on the nearest wooden box. Ichigo just scoffed and turned around, his scowl faded. He was about to leave the stable when she spoke.

"'When you say that, "As you wish", are you saying …' she blushed before continuing, 'are you saying that you love me?'

Ichigo just stopped and let the question sink in before he turned around and met her hopeful gaze. Wordlessly he walked over to her, their eyes still locked as he kept an even pace toward her. He stopped in front of her and bent down, his hand resting on her cheek and caressing her bare skin. She closed her eyes and leaned into his caress, her mouth parting a bit as she sighed in contentment. Ichigo leant down and kissed her passionately, his eyes closed and he heard her gasp. She returned the kiss just as passionately, her eyes kept closed for the duration of the kiss. When he parted from her lips, her eyes were still closed for the briefest of moments before he whispered, 'Yes. When I say that, I'm telling you that I love you.'

"She just stared at him, bewildered for a moment before she whispered, 'I love you too.' Her hands grabbed his face and brought his lips down to hers to kiss her again, with more intensity and passion than bef-"

"Ukitake-taicho, could we please skip these bits?!" Toshiro said loudly and hurriedly to the white haired man. Ukitake simply smiled and said, "Ok Toshiro-kun. Let's see … where were we, hmm … ah, yes. Here.

"Rukia and Ichigo were living happily until the day came that he had to leave. He was planning on taking her hand in marriage, but needed money in order to marry her, so he left on a ship that would lead him to a new land for him to make enough money to marry Rukia. The day that he was to leave, Rukia and Ichigo shared one last moment together outside of her home on the road.

"'You'll come back won't you?' She asked him, worry in her eyes. Ichigo just smiled and kissed her. She looked into his amber eyes pierced into hers, his smile never faltering. He never told her what his intentions were, he meant to keep it a secret. Rukia laughed softly and smiled even softer, looking back into his eyes. 'That doesn't answer my question, idiot.'

"'I'll come back, I promise.' And with that, he kissed her again. They shared a moment together before he took off down the road to the harbor, his pack slung over his shoulder. Rukia stood there and watched him until his image became dimmer and dimmer, hope in her heart that she would see her love again. When it got to be dark, Rukia turned and walked back into her house, ate her dinner, and went to bed. All the while, thinking of him. Weeks passed and word had reached her house that the boat that Ichigo was on had been attacked by the Dread Pirate Kenpachi. When the news reached her, she felt herself become hollow, and she locked herself away for months on end, not coming out. She ate in her room and cried herself to sleep each night. For the Dread Pirate Kenpachi takes no prisoners."

… To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews guys. I'm going to be hoping for more before I give out a chapter three. Let's aim for 10 reviews for a chapter three! C'mon ya'll! Please? Anyways, let me answer some of your reviews here.

darkchocol8807: Thank you for the review :D! I know, they really are! Hehe

MaskedClouds101: Yeah, I tried, but it's not an easy thing to do, especially for the basis of the story. I mean, Westley is so much nicer and romantic than Ichigo is, and Buttercup is a lot more different than Rukia … but that's part of the challenge, making all the characters from Bleach into the characters from Princess Bride and keeping them in character. I'm pretty sure it will also make the story cuter and funnier. But that's just me getting my hopes up XD

AvaLuna: Thank you so much :D

Lunar Iris: I know it's ambitious, but I love a challenge, and this was a big challenge. So I took it on … I just hope I don't mess the story up too bad, I love Princess Bride. Either way, I know I'm not really going to do these two great stories any justice, I just hope I don't ruin them too bad. If I feel like I'm butchering two of my favorite stories, I'll stop, but I hope that doesn't happen.

Disclaimer: I probably should have said this in the first one too … but I don't own Princess Bride or Bleach. If I did, neither of them would be as good as they are.

* * *

Ukitake stopped for a second to catch his breath and look over at Toshiro, whose hands were uncrossed and resting at his side. He was still looking away though, but anyone could tell the story had caught his attention. Ukitake smiled politely and marked his page before speaking. "Do you need anything Toshiro-kun?"

Toshiro shook his head and Ukitake shook his head lightly before speaking. "But Toshiro-kun, you're sick. You should probably have something to eat or at least have some medicine and drink something."

Hitsugaya grumbled and just shook his head. "Fine, I'll have some water … but tell me Ukitake-taicho … what happens next in the story?"

"Ah, well … let's get your water and then we'll continue the tale." Ukitake said with a smile as he stood up. Toshiro watched his white haired superior walk to the kitchen in his room, his thoughts drifting to Ukitake's own illness and he couldn't help but wonder if Ukitake was doing this because he sympathized. Toshiro shook off the thought. "Speaking of illness," he said to the elder captain, "how is _your _condition? Shouldn't you be taking care of yourself instead of me?"

Ukitake laughed from the other room. "I'm fine; my illness hasn't attacked me for a while. Besides, I wouldn't want to give Unohana-taicho anything to fret about. She's much too busy with her own dealings to worry about me." Little did he know that as he was talking about her, Unohana had gone to check up on Ukitake to make sure all was well with him. She had been worried about his health, or at least that was the excuse she had made to see him. She was a little disappointed when she learned that he wasn't there. But enough of Unohana's story, that's not what you're reading this for. Let's get back to the story before I start rambling.

Toshiro sighed and watched Ukitake come out of the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, smiling widely. The elder captain handed the boy the glass of water and took a seat back on his chair. "Is there anything else I can get for you Shiro-chan?"

To this, Hitsugaya just shook his head and took a sip from his glass of water. "No, thank you. Continue the story please Ukitake-taicho."

"Of course. Now, as we left off, Ichigo's boat had been attacked by The Dread Pirate Kenpachi, and Rukia had locked herself away in her room. For The Dread Pirate Kenpachi does not take prisoners. Rukia had been locked in her room for a long while; she knew that with the death of her farmboy, she would never love again. She had hardened herself against everything in the outside world, and when she was certain that her heartbreak had lessened, she left her home and went to the nearest cliffs. If Ichigo was not alive, she had no reason to live either. It was then that Prince Aizen had been riding by with his hunting party and caught site of the beautiful woman on the cliffs. He sat back and admired from afar, or that's what observers would have said.

"When she was about to throw herself off the cliff, Aizen's right hand, Byakuya, rushed forward and caught the girl from throwing herself into the depths below. Rukia screamed and struggled against his grasp as he pulled her up and onto the flat surface; his stoic face never seemed to change as he looked the woman over. That's when Rukia took in the taller man's features. He had long, raven black hair. His silvery scarf was blowing in the wind. 'Are you okay?' came a voice from somewhere other than Byakuya.

"Rukia turned and looked over her shoulder to notice the smiling form of Prince Aizen walking over to them. If Rukia wasn't suffering from a very severe heartbreak, she would have thought of Aizen as handsome and Byakuya as downright beautiful. Rukia just nodded, her expression rivaling that of the ever stoic Byakuya. Except that his eyes had a bit more life in them then hers. Aizen walked over to her and held out his hand. 'Come,' he said, 'let me take you back home.'

"Rukia took the proffered hand and stood. They walked back to her house, all of them on foot, because Rukia refused to ride one of the horses that were offered to her. When they finally reached the house, Aizen had knocked politely on the door, his smile never faltered. Finally, someone had answered the door. Rukia's twin sister, Hisana, had come to greet them. She was slightly taller than Rukia, but just as beautiful. Byakuya, who had previously paid no attention to Rukia, was immediately enthralled with her twin. In her mind, Rukia had thought that it was odd … her and Hisana looked nearly similar, only a few slight differences, and yet the stoic man was paying more attention to Hisana than he was to her.

"Aizen had asked to see Rukia's parents, and they were taken into the modest family room, where Rukia's parents sat. When they noticed Aizen and his guard entering into the room, they stood and bowed politely, to which Aizen told them to forget the formalities. It was then that he asked for Rukia's hand in marriage. Her parents thought it over and spoke with their daughter. Rukia had only requested to have a few words with Aizen in private. Out in the garden, the two spoke.

"'I want you to know,' she said to him, 'I will never love you. I could never love again.' Aizen just smiled and nodded before speaking. His calm voice and sickening smile never faltered.

"'Is that all you wished to say?' He asked. Rukia just stared at the man, completely at a loss for words as she nodded coldly and quietly. 'Ichigo, my farmboy, I'm so sorry.' She thought to herself. And when it was agreed upon, Rukia was to be made Princess. Her family was thrilled. And the royal family was happy that their son had finally found a young woman to be his bride." Ukitake stopped for a second and looked up at Toshiro, who was now sitting completely at attention, his gaze locked on Ukitake. Juushiro chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Toshiro. "I see the story has your attention?"

Toshiro nodded and motioned for the elder captain to continue. Ukitake picked up the book and shook his head. "I'm glad you've taken an interest. It seems to me that people nowadays, especially kids, don't seem to appreciate books."

"Please, Ukitake-taicho, continue the story." Toshiro nearly pleaded. Ukitake laughed and nodded. "Alright.

"A few months had passed and the news of Rukia and Aizen's engagement was announced to the public. Over the course of the next few months, an unspoken bond had grown between the soon to be Princess and Byakuya. Although none could say for certain if he was getting close to Rukia to get to Hisana or out of genuine affection. And Rukia grew to know Aizen better. She knew he was a great hunter, and that all in his entourage were also skilled trackers and hunters. There were times, however, that Rukia needed to escape the confines of the castle. So she went riding on her own every Wednesday and Saturday.

"One Wednesday when she was out riding, she was attacked and knocked unconscious by a group of three people. She didn't see her attackers, but she was certain of one thing as she was falling into unconsciousness: They were going to get caught.

"But from their perspectives, they were just doing their job. There were three men; one of them was a huge, tan man with short black hair that would have covered his eyes if it wasn't combed well enough. He was well muscled with long arms that hung out of his red and gray sleeveless shirt. He currently held Rukia in his arms as he led the way towards the group's ship.

"The second man was shorter, with long red hair that was tied up into ponytail, a bandana across his forehead, hiding parts of the tattoo's that appeared on his forehead. His face was a bit hard, but his eyes were a bit kinder than his expression. His shirt was loose on his body, showing the tattoo's that covered his arms. A black and red colored image was on the back of his white shirt showing a baboon with a snake for a tail. His long black pants were swishing against each other as he walked evenly behind the giant, his katana clapping against his leg with the movement.

"The third man was about the same size and height as the second man. His pink hair made him stand out the most among the trio. Everything about him seemed to match his hair. His pink glasses, the white clothing with light shades of pink highlighting the material, it all made him stand out in a crowd. Unlike his two counterparts, he was smiling widely as he made his way to the boat.

"The man with the red hair sighed and folded his hands behind his head, leaning back a little as he walked. 'Why exactly are we doing this again?' he asked in a somewhat gruff voice. His pink haired companion just laughed and shook his head before speaking.

"'Because its part of the plan, and we get paid.' He said in a light voice, his tone expressing to all how carefree he was about the situation. They were all aboard the boat now and the giant and the red haired man were tying Rukia up as the pink haired man made his way up to the wheel of the ship. The red haired man scoffed and looked back at the man who appeared to be the leader of the trio.

"'And what exactly is the plan Szayel? Why should we care about this little girl?'

"'Ah, my dear Renji, we should care because we get paid to "escort" her to Las Noches, kill her, and frame them for the murder. Seireitei will go to war with Las Noches due to the loss of their princess and we will get paid as a result of our work. And it's a pretty nice fee too.'

"'Seems pretty complicated, but if we get paid, I'm fine with it.' Renji said as he went and sat down on the nearest chair, the giant sitting next to him. Szayel pulled the boat away from the docks and started out along the river as Renji started to speak again. 'So wait, if we need to kill her, why not just do it now rather than wait until we get to Las Noches?'

"'No, no, no, no … we have to make it look like she was killed there. If we don't then the whole thing is botched and we don't get paid.'

"'So then we need to get her to Las Noches and kill her there and do it quickly before someone from Seireitei finds us and hunts us down, right?'

"'Renji, I'm getting tired of you talking. Shut up.'

"'Oh my, he's getting mad. Hey, Chad, doesn't Szayel like to fuss?' Renji looked over at the giant, smiling. Chad looked down at Renji and took a seat next to him and spoke quietly, almost monotonically.

"'He really does like to scream at us.'

"'That's alright, I don't really think he means any harm.'

"'It just shows his lack of charm.'

"'Hey, you're pretty damn good at rhyme.'

"'It happens sometimes.'

"Szayel was getting agitated as he listened to his two companions. Gripping the wheel to the boat tighter her growled and said as menacingly as he could 'Shut, up.'

"'Chad, can you take a look for rocks up ahead?'

"'Sure, but if there are any, we'll all be dead.'

"'If you don't stop it, I'm not paying you, and I mean it!'

"'Hey Renji, you want a peanut?'


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for posting so late guys! RL has been a pain in the butt. Anywho, let me respond to some reviews and once again encourage people to Review, I enjoy it. :D

Whitecloud1: Hehe, thank you. I figured that Byakuya would be a good choice for Rugen's position and Renji for Inigo's, they're really the only two that fit the characters. And thank you again, I do my best, its hard sometimes to keep them all in character. And aye, Szayel fit the bill as Vizcini, because I have plans for Mayuri. *rubs hands together and cackles*

DarkChocol8807: lol, I would recommend it. Its what I've been doing to write. I usually forget what happens so I need to see the movie or reference the book to remember certain things. And we'll say, I'm not saying anything yet. :P

SplitToInifinty: I'm glad! And I know right! Hehe.

Yemi Hikari: I want to thank you for the nitpicking and would politely remind you that this is a story, and is meant to be enjoyed. Toshiro doesn't recognize the characters that are closest to him because it wouldn't fit the story that I am writing. The only other way to do this story would be to fill it with OC's, which would not be fun, nor easy, and I doubt it would get too many readers. So please, read and enjoy rather than notice Toshiro's lack of recognization. I also want to thank you for the reminder, and I do know what Plagiarism is, but you see, when you take a story like The Princess Bride, there are certain things that you cannot leave out. Case in point, the rhyming sequence. I am doing my best to make it my own and twist it up, but this is a Bleached version of Princess Bride, so it's a little hard. Bare with me, and if you have any suggestions that will help, please, tell me. Thank you.

Anim3 Lov3r: Thank you, I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Hehe, that has yet to be seen ;P and I know he is, its just too much fun to write for the Shiro's XD

IluvBleach: lol, reviews are always good, I enjoy them. I'm also glad that you're enjoying it, I aim to please :D As for the Characters, all will be revealed at the end when I put up the final dramatis personae, I want to keep a few of the appearances a surprise. And if you haven't already, I suggest watching The Princess Bride, hopefully then the character placement will make sense.

UekiTeN: I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' on it. I'm going as fast as both the real world and my creative mind allow me to work on this story. I still hold the reason for Fantasies as true … because it is. If I had a list for every story I started and then abandoned half way through, I would use up a lot of paper.

I also want to apologize ahead of time to people who are reading this, I have only been on a boat once in my life, and that was when I was 9, I have no knowledge of sailor talk so … yeah, you'll see. I also want to apologize for a bit of Szayel OOC-ness in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the Princess Bride … I do however own an awesome Hyorinmaru replica sword.

* * *

Toshiro took a sip of the water that Ukitake had gotten for him a while ago, his attention completely taken by the story he was being told. He didn't even make an effort to hide it anymore. He was now looking at the older captain, waiting for him to keep telling the story. Ukitake had taken a short moments rest to sip his own water. When he was done he set the glass of water down on the nearest table and smiled his trademark smile. "How are you feeling Toshiro-kun?"

"I'm fine Ukitake-taicho. Please, continue the story." Hitsugaya said with just a hint of urgency. Ukitake laughed a bit and pulled the book back up so he could read, grinning all the while knowing that his story had caught the attention of the young captain. "Now, where were we … ah, yes. Rukia had just been kidnapped by the three mercenaries and was on her way to Los Noches. She sat against the right side of the boat, Szayel across from her with a small dagger in his hand, keeping watch on their prisoner. Chad was moving back and forth on the boat, making sure that everything was in working order, and Renji sat at the back of the boat, looking over his shoulder at the moonlit water, his sword was laying against his shoulder.

"It was silent except for the sounds of the waves and water against the boat, the wind in the sails and the footsteps of Chad moving around. Szayel sighed and watched Chad, their short, raven haired companion wasn't doing anything note worthy anyway. Renji's eyes squinted, but nobody could say the small action. 'Nobody knows about our mission, right?'

"'Huh?' Szayel turned to look curiously at Renji, who was still looking over his shoulder at the water behind them. 'What was that you asked?'

"'Are you deaf? I asked if anyone knew about our mission.'

"'Besides our employer and us, no, nobody knows about our mission.'

"'You're sure?'

"Yes I'm sure!' Szayel shouted and scoffed before turning to look at their captive. He tapped his knife against his thigh for a moment before turning to look back at Renji and ask, 'Out of plain curiosity, why do you ask?'

"'I though you didn't care …'

"'I don't … just tell me why you do.'

"Renji turned around to look at Szayel, and spoke calmly, 'Because as I'm looking out behind us, I notice another boat behind us. Exactly behind us, moving the same speed.'

"'What?' Szayel got up and moved to the back of the boat to stand next to Renji and look out. And sure enough, there it was, the other boat, its white sails clear in the moonlight. Nobody seemed to be moving around, almost as if it were a ghost ship. 'Must just be some fishermen … out at night … in hollow infested water.'

"'Sure, that seems reasonable.' Renji scoffed. Chad didn't move to see what was going on, he just kept his pacing. It was then that Rukia spoke up. 'Right, you're both stupid. Fishermen, out at this hour? Its someone from Seireitei come to rescue me. They'll board this ship and imprison you.'

"'Who're you calling stupid?!' Renji practically shouted as he stood up. Szayel put a restraining hand on his companion's shoulder.

"'My dear princess, that idea is completely and utterly implausible. Nobody from your country knows what we did and Los Noches won't have any clue until war is declared. So your hope, as wonderful as it may be, is completely false.' Szayel grinned, hoping that his demoralizing was finished. Rukia just laughed and shook her head.

"'You obviously don't know Aizen or Byakuya like I do. They are both accomplished trackers, so accomplished in fact that you all have no hope of escaping them. They are coming, you can rest assured of that.' Chad had stopped his pacing and was now looking at the chasing boat. Szayel growled and closed his eyes, leaning his head back, Renji had turned away in a huff and was now staring at the boat, getting the odd taste of … 'Strawberries.' He mumbled.

"Szayel looked at Renji and sighed. 'What'd you say?' It was then that they heard a splash from behind them. Szayel growled in frustration. 'Please don't tell me that's what I think it was.'

"Chad looked out the side of the boat, watching Rukia swim away. 'Its what you think it was.' He said quietly. Szayel shouted in frustration and ran to the side of the boat, grabbing Renji by his shirt and dragging him along with him. They watched the short woman swim away from them. Renji whistled as he watched Rukia swim.

"'Midget sure can paddle.' He said. A rock that had mysteriously found its way to Rukia's hand whistled through the air and hit Renji square in the forehead, knocking him onto his back and causing him to yelp in pain, the sound of Rukia yelling 'I am _not _a midget!' echoed to them through the night. Szayel just growled, ignoring the rock that had just whizzed by his head and hit his companion. He glared down at Renji and pointed out to Rukia.

"'Go get her!' He commanded loudly. Renji stood up and grabbed Szayel by his shirt, growling out, 'Look, I just got hit in the head by a freaking rock, a little compassion would be nice!'

""You want compassion?! You might want to put some ice on that bump, AFTER you go and get her!' Szayel shouted back, still pointing out at Rukia, who was getting further and further away from the boat. Renji let go of Szayel and turned his face to side as he scratched his chin, mumbling something. 'What was that?' Szayel asked.

"'I said … I'm afraid of the water.' Renji turned further away from his companions to hide his embarrassment. Szayel laughed and looked at Chad. 'What about you big guy?'

"Chad shook his head and said in his casual, monotone, 'I don't know how to swim.' At this, Szayel growled in frustration, and ran to change the direction of the sails to point them closer to Rukia, who was still swimming as fast as she could away from her kidnappers. She stopped when she heard a deafening screech. She swam in place for a moment, looking around the water for what could have made that sound. She turned several times when she heard yet another screech from behind her. She turned to her side and saw a bunch of teeth swimming towards her before veering slightly to the right. She gasped in fright as the monster swam past her.

"'Do you know what that sound is midget?' Renji shouted as he ducked another rock being thrown at him. 'That sound is the Hollows crying out for food, and you so happen to be right there for them to eat. So we can do this one of two ways: you can come back to the boat, or we can leave you out there to get eaten.'

"As he finished another Hollow swam past Rukia, screeching into her ear and causing her to scream. Another one appeared in front of her and began swimming at her at a very fast pace. She sat still in the water, trying to get her body to move, but finding it impossible. '_Help me, help me, help me!'_ she cried out in her head. Just when the Hollow was about to reach her, a blade came down and severed the creatures head from its neck and a large hand grabbed Rukia by the back of her dress and pulled her wet body out the water, setting her down against the mast of the ship.

"Renji cleaned his katana and sheathed the blade as he turned to look at Chad tying up their prisoner. She didn't even struggle, she was still too frightened. Renji scoffed and turned back to take his seat at the back of the ship, watching both the water and the other boat.

"Hours had passed since the event and Rukia had fallen asleep, along with Chad, who was sitting next to the short woman, his head hanging down as he rested. Szayel was steering the ship toward their destination. Renji tapped Szayel gently on the leg.

"'What?' The pink haired man demanded as he looked at Renji.

"'The guy from last night is still following us.'

"'What?!'

"'I said, the-guy-from-last-night-is-still-following-us. Damn clean out your ears.' Renji scoffed as he got up and casually strode across the boat to rouse Chad from his sleep. Szayel growled at yet another insult hurled his way. It seemed that Renji was winning in that regard. But when he turned around to look, he found his red haired companion to be right. The ship was still there. The pink haired man ground his teeth together and turned back to face forward, waving it off.

"'It doesn't matter anyway, we're almost to our destination. See?' He pointed to the large cliffs in front of them. 'Those cliffs are the barrier to Los Noches and they hold only one port. Once we dock there, our pursuer will have to circle around for another port.'

"'Sounds simple enough.' Renji said aloud. He looked forward to the cliffs and rested his hand on his katana, his gut telling him to prepare for trouble."

* * *

A/N: I AM SO SORRY that this took forever to update! Damn RL and my own mind not wanting to stay on topic. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this one. The next one is going to Renji and Ichigo fighting, so I had to get all the dialogue out early, they aren't going to be talking much in the next chapter. Also, I'm using the AN to promote Fantasies, my one shot … GO READ IT! :D


End file.
